هنا ملخص لبحث الشابة الاسترالية تانيا بانقلى وهو بحث تخرجها من جامعة سيدنى قسم الدراسات الالمانية .
تمّ تدريس هذه المجموعة فى معهد الافرويشن التابع لجامعة فيينا وقدمت فيه ورقة قام بعض الطلبة والطالبات بتحليل ما كتبت وفقا لوجهة نظرهم, والورقة باللغة الالمانية- يمكننى انزل بعض منها فى حالة رغبت.
شكرا لكم جميعا ولما ستضيفونه لىّ من شعاع انسانى.
Austria’s truest eye
German Language Migrant Literature in Austria and Trotzdem singe ich by Ishraga Mustafa Hamid
Tanja Binggeli
Department of Germanic Studies
German Honours IV Long Essay
Supervisor: Dr Andrea Bandhauer
University of Sydney
“[T]he truest eye may now belong to the migrant’s double vision”
Homi K. Bhabha
Ishraga Mustafa Hamid
Ishraga Mustafa Hamid is a Sudanese-Austrian currently living and working in Vienna. Ishraga arrived in Austria in 1993 after being accepted as a student at the University of Vienna.
Ishraga was born in 1961 in Kosti, a city approximately 250km south of the capital, Khartoum and part of the coutry’s majority muslim north. Born into a Muslim family, Ishraga attended primary school and high school in Kosti, before moving to Omdurman in 1985 to study at the Islamic University of Omduran. Here Ishraga completed a degree in Publizistik and journalism*.[1] Ishraga completed her degree with the result “very good with honour” and after this continued on with work Hamid commenced as a student in 1985 as a freelance journalist. Hamid also had a number of articles, poetry and prose published during this period. In 1991 Ishraga returned to study, enrolling in the Postgraduate College at the University of Khartoum where, in 1992, Ishraga completed a ‘high degree Diploma in Communication’. After the completion of her second degree, Ishraga worked as a radio journalist for ‘Radio Obdurman’ on a program called ‘People and the Environment’ before preparing to leave the Sudan for Austria.
Ishraga had begun her political involvement while at highschool in the Sudan with the feminist movement. This was for Ishraga not just a political awakening, but Ishraga recalls “[d]urch mein Engagement hat sich mein Bewusstsein entwickelt und auch verändert. Ich hatte mich zum ersten Mal als Frau wahrgenommen.“[2] Through her involvement with the feminist movement Ishraga began to become occupied with politics in the Sudan, the situation of women in her country, the environment, as well as the war in the South.[3] However, with the coming to power of the Military Regime in 1989 under General Lieutenant Omer el Beshir, life became very difficult for those who were or had previously been politically active. “Nachdem das Regime…an die Macht kam, kamen alle Personen, die politisch aktiv waren auf die Watchlist. Es was schwierig, einen Job im Sudan zu finden, obwohl ich mit sehr guten Noten abgeschlossen hatte.“[4] So amidst the political unrest that was taking over Sudan, Ishraga left for Austria.
Ishraga moved to Austria in 1993 after being accepted as a student by the University of Vienna. Ishraga enrolled in a Masters (Magister) program in Pubizistik- und Kommunikationswissenschaft, however, before undertaking study towards her Masters, Ishraga had to complete a number of courses prescribed by the University, aswell as complete a Diplomarbeit as her studies in Sudan were not completely recognised. After the completion of her Diplomarbeit in 1997, Ishraga commenced work on her Magister and also worked on a number of studies into the situation of immigrants n Vienna, particularly that of African women. One of the first studies which Ishraga completed in Vienna, “Integration zwischen Regen und Fata Morgana, Ansichten und Aussichten afrikanischer Migrantinnen in Wien”, was completed during 1997 and 1998 and was presented at a Work Conference at the University of Graz in 1999 entitled “Black and White – African European Identities”.
Ishraga has also worked closely alongside Dr Erwinn Ebermann in his research on the state of the African population in Vienna. Dr Ebermann’s book, Afrikaner in Wien (2002) features a number of studies and surveys undertaken by Ishraga Mustafa Hamid as well as summary of the results written by Hamid herself (as referred to in the second chapter).
Whilst working towards her Magister in Austria, Ishraga has worked for a number of organisations and institutions, as well as having had a number of articles and works of literature published as well as having been a lecturer at the University of Vienna in the Institute of Political Science since 2001.
In 1998/1999 Ishraga was a coordinator of seminars to raise awareness on the topic of ‘The development in Africa from a Genderperspective” in Osttirol. Ishraga also worked during this time as a researcher for the Wiener Intergrationsfond and following this, Ishraga was contracted by the advocacy group Frauensolidarität and and the City of Vienna as a researcher into issues concerning women’s health and rights.
In 2002 Ishraga was hired as a Project Manager by the Wiener Institut für Entwicklungszusammenarbeit (VIDC) on a project called ‘Gender Pool’.[5]
Between 1997-2002 Ishraga had several articles published in the magazine for Frauensolidarität, dealing primarily with issues concerning the question of gender, democracy and development. Ishraga has also made contributions to a number of anthologies published by Milena Verlag. These include „Die Spraches des Widerstandes ist alt wie die Welt und ihr Wunsch“ (2000) and „Eure Sprache ist nicht meine Sprache“ (2002). In addition to this, Ishraga’s work appears in an anthology of 100 authors whose work was compiled by Helmuth A. Niederle called “Fremde in mir”.
In August 2005 Ishraga was the convenor of a conference in Vienna which was run in conjunction with an NGO co-founded and chaired by Hamid called NilDonau: für Entwicklung und Friedenskultur. The conference was given the title “A Networking Conference Across Borders: The Challenges and Strategies of Sudanese Women for Democratic Change and the Rebuilding of Sudan.” and the aim of the conference was to bring together female representatives of civil society from all parts of the world to work on “perspectives” for the rebuilding in Sudan, and particularly to focus on the unique contribution that women are able to make toward the peace and democratization process.[6] In regards what is required for a successful rebuilding of the society in the Sudan, Hamid says:
Aus meiner Sicht braucht es die Trennung von Religion und Staat, viel Bewusstseinsbildung bei den jungen Menschen und eine aktive Beteiligung von Frauen am Friedensprozess.[7]
In another article reporting on the conference, Hamid shares her strong belief in the need for a ‚culture of peace’, „Wir müssen eine Kultur des Friedens schaffen. Nur ein Abkommen zu schließen reicht nicht“.[8]Hamid explains that women need to take an active role in the peace process as they are good examples in the area of “Bewusstseinsbildung und Erziehung”: Sie können sich leichter die Hand reichen und miteinander versöhnlich sprechen.[9] The conference brought together women representing Sudan’s Islamic north wth women representing the Christian south. Hamid said was deemed by Hamid a success as “[d]ie Frauen aus dem Süden haben mit den Frauen aus dem Norden gesprochen... und [sie] haben das mit viel Kraft und Humor gut geschafft“
Hamid describes her self a human rights activist and feminist: “[m]eine
Basis sind die Menschenrechte und die Frauenrechte im Besonderen“.[10] However, Hamid is often asked how she balances her feminist convictions with her muslim faith. This is Hamid’s reponse in an interview after the NilDonau conference last year:
Was den Feminismus betrifft, so kann ich nur sagen, dass ich mich für Frauenanliegen einsetze. Dass diese mitunter in muslimischen
Gesellschaften andere sind als in westlichen, ist klar. Ich analysiere die Lage sozusagen als „Feministin aus dem Süden“.[11]
By contrast to other poetry with a political message by other African writers in Austria, the tone of Ishraga’s poetry tends to be on the whole much more peaceful and positive, focused on hope
The aftrican community is so networked and because of marginalisation and stigmatisation that is truly is a new location from which to speak. Speaking on behalf of many.
Autobiographical aspect to Hamid’s poetry
In the foreward to the collection of poetry, Hamid introduces the collection as follows:
Mir bleibt die Hoffnung, dass meine Worte eure Herzen berühren und eure Körper und Seelen bewegen mögen. Denn das bin ich, ich bin voller Hoffnung, die von Schmerz und Leid begleitet wird. Trotzdem singe ich.[12]
This summary by Ishraga of herself is a profound summary of the poetry in this collection. It would appear that it can be derived from this opening few lines that much of this poetry can be viewed as being strongly autobiographical. At the end of the quoted opening lines Hamid repeats the title of the collection: “Trotzdem singe ich”. Based on the assumption that much of the content of Ishraga’s poetry may be considered autobiographical, the poems which follow this brief introduction could be considered Hamid’s ‘song’.
As a result of this assumption, I will refer often to the sentiments expressed in the poems as being those of the author herself. The potery seems to provide a mode of expression for Hamid as well as (according to the introduction) bridge of communication between herself and a German-speaking white Austrian audience.
Method
Due to the short nature of many of her poems it has been considered best to look at a number which particularly show a spectrum of the thematic material covered by Hamid in this collection
Heimat
In Afrika
In Österreich
In Deutschland
In Südamerika
In Asien
Oder in Nordamerika
Die Menschen sind meine Heimat
The concept of ‘Heimat’ in the German language is one which is often played on in Migrant Literature.[13] The German word can not easily be translated into English. ‘Heimat’ carries a much deeper sense of belonging that the English word ‘home’. Given this depth of meaning and the emphasis on the concept of belonging captured in this word, it is a highly relevent term in the language of those who struggle to know where it is they belong. Hamid has a unique take on the usage of this word in this poem entitle Heimat.
As the first poem in the volume, ‘Heimat’ would appear to be of special significance. In a way, this poem acts as a short preface to the poems in the rest of the collection by pointing to several key themes which are to appear again and again in the poems which follow.
First of all, ‘Heimat’ introduces the idea that the author has a fairly global perspective. Hamid is someone who thinks across borderlines, oceans and racial lines. Very quickly, the reader is transported from the secure concept with the title ‘Heimat’, around the ‘four corners’ of the globe. The concept of ‘Heimat’ is defined by borders and antithesis. The word ‘Heimat’ is often used to refer to the ‘homeland’, clearly emphasising the sense of solidarity with those who reside within the nation’s borders. In her poem, however, Hamid effectively empties the word of this meaning. In the poem, the concept of ‘Heimat’ is stretched almost inconceivably to a German-speaking reader to encompass the entire world, effectively emptying the word of its traditional meaning. here we see Hamid’s playing subtly with the German language (Entfremdung) in a way which is (almost?) beyond a native speaker.
Knowing German as a foreign language, the words sit above a pre-existing framework of meaning in Hamid’s mind. It is, therefore, easier for Hamid to understand fairly objectively the power of meaning of the word ‘Heimat’ and use it to communicate in a new way.
Ishraga creates a (geographical) tension in this poem between the title and the places named in the first 6 lines. This tension, however, is resolved by Hamid in the last line:
Die Menschen sind meine Heimat[14]
With this line the first tension is resolved, only to establish another. The geographical understanding of the word ‘Heimat’ is replaced by a very abstract concept. The German-speaking audience is being challenged once again to be flexible with the meaning ascribed to the word ‘Heimat’.It is not, however, that Hamid intends to empty the word of its meaning entirely. The objective appears to be to stretch the meaning of the meaning in order for it to be able to be applied to a different, perhaps even new, object. The association of belonging is to be disconnected from a geographical location and applied to a universal humanity. The ‘Oder’ in the last line of the poem disrupts the rhythmic flow of the poem, creating a pause. This pause could be considered a pause of reflection before continuing with the final place name, “in Nordamerika”. This could possibly be a political statement against the administration in the US and their actions on the world political stage. (Hamid is a muslim who may be at odds with the Bush administration’s Christian policies.)
Rosen für Omofuma
Wir weinen nicht um dich
wir weinen um die Sonne der Freiheit, die unterging
als zwei Vögel auf deinen Schultern geschlachtet wurden
in deinen Augen wurden unsere Träume getötet
auf deinen Lippen wurden Wolken gefangen
Wir weinen nicht um dich
bis unsere Qualen enden
trotzdem singen wir
unsere Trommeln verstummen nicht
wir pflanzen dich in unsere Kinder
Es blüht ein Baum, bunt
in seinem Schatten
singen wir für Gleichheit
This poem by Hamid refers directly to the death of Marcus Omofuma who died whilst in police custody in 1999.
With political overtones and the feel of a song of solidarity, this poem speaks of a collective sadness at the loss represented by the death of Marcus Omofuma at the hands of an Austrian State authority. However, Ishraga lifts the mood of the poem half way through with a message of hope in the face of persecution.
Ishraga uses the first person collective pronoun “wir” in this poem, indicating that her voice in the poem represents the sentiments shared by many others.
The central theme of this poem is hope.
Wir weinen nicht um dich
wir weinen um die Sonne der Freiheit, die Unterging[15]
The poem appears to be communicating a fairly political message. Rather than an obituary to Marcus Omofuma, who does not appear to have been personally known to the author, this poem opens by mourning what the death of Marcus Omofuma at the hands of the Austrian police represents to the collective African community in Austria. What this act represents to the African community is the violence of the Austrian police in its attitude and behaviour towards the African population. Not only this, in the trial of the police who were involved in the incident, the officers were given extremely light sentencing.[16] This demonstration of a seeming ambivalence towards violence against Africans is a very significant blow to a population already very aware of the hostile attitudes of the ‘white’ Austrian majority around them.
Ishraga uses powerful images from nature to depict the loss that this event represents from her perspective. The image of the people crying as they watch the sun go down is one of great hopelessness, as if the sun has gone down for the last time. The images become more violent, representing Omofuma’s death as the slaughtering of two birds on his shoulders. In his death, he has embodied the death of the dreams of the collective group and an unwelcoming future.
in deinen Augen wurden unsere Träume getötet
auf deinen Lippen wurden Wolken gefangen[17]
According to Hamid in this poem, the death of Omofuma represents a huge defeat in the eyes of the African people who have been struggling for recoginition and respect from a white, European society. The fact that Ishraga should see Omofuma’s death a loss for the African population[18] as a whole shows Ishraga’s belief that Omofuma’s death is as a direct result of Omofuma’s race. In this case, it represents such a great loss bu substitution – it could have been anyone of African descent so mitreated in his place, and follows that it could happen to anyone of African descent in the future. Therefore, dreams of living peacefully and in solidarity with their white Austrian neighbours & authorities were crushed through the event of Omofuma’s death.
In the second stanza the poet shows a solidarity with Omofuma personally and puts his death more into the context of the racial struggle of the Africans.
Wir weinen nicht um dich
bis unsere Qualen enden[19]
Here it would appear that Ishraga is saying that the African people can not mourn for him until their suffering has ended, which would appear to imply that Omofuma’s mourning can not begin until the political agenda which his death has raised, has been dealt with. The ‘Qualen’ appears to refer to politcal and social oppression experienced by African immigrants in Austria.
What comes next is very characteristic of Hamid’s poems, particularly when dealing with the theme of hope. Oftening in the midst of lamenting the plight of the African population in Austria in a poem, the first half will present a bleak picture of their situation. However, around half way through the poem there will be a turning point, from which the mood of the poem is lifted completely. The mood shift is usually implies a triumphing over adversity
trotzdem singen wir
unsere Trommeln verstummen nicht
wir pflanzen dich in unsere Kinder[20]
In the second half of the second stanza, Hamid shows her solidarity with Omofuma and alludes to the strength of the African people. Hamid presents the very evocative aural image of the African drumming to represent their collective protest at Omofuma’s death. The image of “planting” Omofuma in their children is used to express the tribute to Omofuma’s life that the African community will pay by ensuring that his name lives on for generations to come.
Particularly interesting in the images chosen by Hamid in this part of the poem is their allusion to fairly stereotypical images held by Westerners of the African ‘Orient’. In the first stanza, Hamid speaks in terms of events in nature to express the sense of loss experienced by the African community at Omofuma’s death. A common assiociation in Orientalist discourse with the African Orient is nature.A western stereotype, which as has been shown, still exists today, is that African people share a special bond with the natural world. Through the use of powerful images from nature to communicate the message in this poem, it appears that Hamid is appealing to these stereotypes in the minds of her German-speaking Austrian audience. Equally, the aural depiction of drumming and singing are two other images closely associated by the West with African tribal traditions. The idea of “planting” Omofuma in their future generations evokes a sense of storytelling. The oral tradition of story-telling is another stereotypical characteristic of people of the Orient in the Orientalis discourse. Hamid, therefore, seems to embrace many images considered, now, fairly stereotypical of the ‘Orient’.
The last stanza features, again, stereotypical images of ‘African’ people. The aural image of collective singing evokes the sounds of the harmonious full tones of an African choir. Singing, particularly in times of oppression, is also an aspect of African culture which the West has clung onto as a part of the ‘Other’ African cutlre. The strong ‘African’ flavour of this image is further strengthened by the fact that the singers are depicted singing outdoors under the shade of a tree that blossoms brightly.
Es blüht ein Baum, bunt
In seinem Schatten
singen wir für Gleichheit[21]
Here another political message in the poem is conveyed., The united chorus of the African community in Austria singing for equality.
In this poem Hamid portrays a tragic loss of hope in the face of the treatment by the Austrian police of fellow African Marcus Omofuma. Hamid, however, shows that through the solidarity of the African community, the “wir” of the poem, this injustice can be overcome, and indeed there is hope for a more positive future. Despite the brutality of the crime and prejudice agaist which Hamid protests, the images of the African protest in the poem are colourful, inspiring and peaceful. Hamid seems to be suggesting that the nature of their protest is at the present time a peaceful one, or perhaps she is calling on fellow people of African descent in Austria to remember their roots and traditional ways and not to answer violence and hatred with more of the same.
بقية ملخص الدراسة فى هذا اللنك.
http://ishragamustafa.blogspot.com/2...ruest-eye.html
